Nutritional intervention after an early assessment by a flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing is associated with a shorter hospital stay for patients with acute cerebral infarction: A retrospective study

Background and Objectives: It is important to evaluate the swallowing function of patients with acute cerebral infarction. The effects of nutritional intervention after an early assessment by a flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) were evaluated. Methods and Study Design: This retrospective study included 274 patients who were hospitalized for acute cerebral infarction and underwent a FEES between 2016 and 2018. The effects of early nutritional intervention after an assessment by a FEES within 48 h from admission were evaluated. The patients were divided into a shorter hospital stay group (<30 days) and a longer group (≥30 days). A multivariate analysis was performed to identify the predictive factors for a shorter hospital stay. Results: The overall patient characteristics were as follows: 166 men; median age, 81 years old; and median body mass index (BMI), 21.1 kg/m². No significant differences in the age, sex, or BMI were found between the shorter and longer hospital stay groups. A FEES within 48 h of admission (odds ratio [OR], 2.040; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.120–3.700; p=0.019), FILS level ≥6 at admission (OR, 2.300; 95% CI, 1.190–4.440; p=0.013), and an administered energy dose of ≥18.5 kcal/kg on hospital day 3 (OR, 2.360; 95% CI, 1.180–4.690; p=0.015) were independently associated with a hospital stay <30 days. Conclusions: Patients with acute cerebral infarction are more likely to have a shorter hospital stay (<30 days) if they undergo a FEES early after admission and receive optimal nutritional intervention.